Blog archive
May 2024
Rumor of Humor #2416
05/14/2024
Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024
Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024
Rumor of Humor #2418
05/14/2024
Springtime Visitors
05/07/2024
Freezing for a Good Cause – Credit, That Is
05/02/2024
No Discussion Meeting on May 3rd
05/02/2024
An Apparently Normal Person Author Presentation and Book-signing
05/01/2024
Flintridge Center: Pasadena Village’s Neighbor That Changes Lives
05/01/2024
Pasadena Celebrates Older Americans Month 2024
05/01/2024
The 2024 Pasadena Village Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
05/01/2024
Woman of the Year: Katy Townsend
05/01/2024
April 2024
Rumor of Humor #2410
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2411
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2412
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2413
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2414
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2415
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2416
04/28/2024
Stimulated by "Caste"
04/22/2024
Tulsa reparations, Religion and Politics
04/09/2024
March 2024
Trumps War with Black Women
03/31/2024
Addressing The Needs of Older Adults Through Pasadena Village
03/25/2024
Coming Soon: More Resources for Older Americans, Online and in Person
03/25/2024
Community Building Locally and Nationally
03/25/2024
Preparing for the Future with Ready or Not
03/25/2024
Volunteering is at The Heart of the Village
03/25/2024
Women's Liberation: Then and Now
03/25/2024
Writing Memoirs Together
03/25/2024
Current Views on Current Events
03/20/2024
Unchained
03/18/2024
Rumr of Humor issue # 2409
03/10/2024
Blacks Portrayed by European Artists
03/03/2024
Rumor of Humor #2408
03/03/2024
February 2024
Caring for Ourselves and Each Other
02/27/2024
Doug Colliflower Honored
02/27/2024
Great Decisions Connects Us to the Worldwide Community
02/27/2024
Letter from the President
02/27/2024
Pasadena Village's Impact
02/27/2024
The Power of Touch
02/27/2024
Villages as a New Approach to Aging
02/27/2024
Addressing Gang Violence in Pasadena-Altadena
02/21/2024
Rumor of Humor Issue 2407
02/19/2024
Thank You For Caring.
02/12/2024
Rumor of Humor 2405
02/11/2024
Curve Balls
02/10/2024
Sylvan Lane
02/10/2024
Rumor of Humor 2404
02/09/2024
Larry Duplechan, Blacks in Film
02/03/2024
January 2024
Pasadena Village Joins Community Partners in Vaccination Campaign
01/29/2024
Rumor of Humor #2403
01/28/2024
Pasadena Village Joins Two Healthy Aging Resource Projects
01/25/2024
Decluttering: Do It Now
01/24/2024
Village Volunteers Contribute to the Huntington Magic
01/24/2024
Villagers Creating Community
01/24/2024
Villagers Reflect on Black History Month
01/24/2024
Walk With Ease, 2024
01/24/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2402
01/21/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2401
01/15/2024
Re- Entry Programs, a Personal Experience
01/08/2024
Remember John and Thelma Orr
By Susan KujawaPosted: 08/28/2023
John and Thelma Orr were founding members of the Pasadena Village. A few years ago they moved to the Bay Area to be closer to their son and his family. John passed away on February 25, 2023, at age 89. Thelma passed away on July 12, 2023.
John had a distinguished academic career at USC, where he served as the Dean of Education and Professor Emeritus of Religion, having received his doctorate from the Yale Divinity School. During his career at USC he developed a graduate program in social ethics and published several books, including The Radical Suburb (1970).
In the 1990s, following the civic unrest instigated by the beating of Rodney King by the LA Police Department, John was instrumental in creating the Center for Religion and Civic Culture, now a core program at USC. He retired from USC in 1998 and eventually he and Thelma settled in Pasadena.
I only knew the barest minimum about John’s professional career. I knew him as a tall, gangly man with a beautiful baritone voice and a twinkle in his eye. It was clear that he viewed retirement as a chance to LIVE. He was an artist at heart. He had created paintings and sculptures in a “pop art” tradition for decades and also took up photography when he retired. Thelma recalled how he would walk along the beach and bring back flotsam for his art projects. Thelma was the calm, steadfast, common-sense presence in John’s life, with her own career in physical therapy as head of a department at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital.
John and Thelma joined the Village during its period of formation. I was the Executive Director charged with turning our ideas into reality. Enter John Orr. He thought we should see a museum exhibit at the now-closed Museum of California Art and proposed leading a tour. I put it on our sparsely filled calendar, people signed up, and John led us through the art exhibit with gusto and expertise. More museum visits followed, more activities for the calendar. Looking back, I realize that John and Thelma played a pretty important role in the creation of the vibrant, active, event-filled Pasadena Village that we know today.
When we moved into our current office space at the Flintridge Center, John did not like the bare walls of the “social room.” I showed him some posters I was planning to hang. He was not impressed. “We should turn this room into an art gallery, showcasing the art of Village members.” He recruited a sidekick, Patrick Dunavan, and the two of them spent hours preparing the first exhibit, which featured the photography work of John and fellow Village member Bill Gass. This space still functions today as a Village Art Gallery, curated by a rotating team of artists.
John and Thelma had careers in which they engaged in meaningful, demanding, often ground-breaking work. When they retired, instead of looking back, they took another approach. They kept living, creating, growing, and loving. They blazed the path that we follow to this day.